Most Valuable Player
1. LeBron James - MIA - 26.3 pts, 7.5 reb, 7.1 ast (1)
Yes, the Heat have lost 3 of their last 4 games, but LeBron has scored over 25 points in each of the last 5 games for Miami, and has hit at least 20 in 8 straight. Miami's last 7 losses have all come to teams that will likely make the Eastern Conference Playoffs, which is not a good sign, but what really matters is what you do in the playoffs.
2. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 26.5 pts, 6.8 reb, 4.4 ast (2)
The close losses to Orlando and Chicago are understandable, because those are two very good teams. The loss to New York? That one can only be explained by looking at Wade's stat line. 12 points on 5-15 shooting from an MVP candidate will kill you every time.
3. Derrick Rose - CHI - 24.6 pts, 4.4 reb, 8.2 ast (3)
With Miami struggling, Rose wasted a golden opportunity to make his move this week, averaging fewer than 17 points per game this week and letting the Bulls blow a huge lead to Atlanta on Wednesday night. If the Bulls had won that game and Rose had scored at his season average, he'd be the new #2 this week.
4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 25.1 pts, 5.2 reb, 4.9 ast (5)
Kobe didn't do anything spectacular this week except help the Lakers win, which they've remembered how to do since that embarrassing loss to Cleveland. They defending champs have now won 5 straight, including a big win in Oklahoma City last Sunday.
5. Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.4 pts, 7.1 reb, 2.8 ast (4)
Durant's high scoring game this week was only 23 points against Orlando, but his move down has more to do with the Thunder's 3-game losing streak than with his lower production. He will probably miss tonight's game against Atlanta with an ankle injury.
6. Pau Gasol - LAL - 18.6 pts, 10.5 reb, 3.5 ast (6)
The Lakers won all 3 of their games this week, but Gasol was just average in those games, only really looking impressive when he pulled down 17 boards against Minnesota, but he was 3 for 10 with only 12 points in that same game, so here he stays.
7. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 22.8 pts, 6.7 reb, 2.5 ast (8)
Dallas is back, and Nowitzki is the biggest reason why. The German big man has scored at least 20 in five straight games, and the Mavericks have won 17 of their last 18 games. Dallas has only lost 5 times in the last 40 times Dirk has suited up, and would probably be in first place if he'd never gone down.
8. Dwight Howard - ORL - 23.2 pts, 13.9 reb, 2.3 blk (9)
Howard scored 40 against Oklahoma City and 30 against New York this week before having a relatively quiet game (14 points, 18 rebounds, 5 blocks) in Orlando's comeback win over Miami. After a 4-0 week without a bad game, Howard moves up another spot in the rankings.
9. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.0 pts, 4.8 reb, 8.4 ast (7)
Westbrook hasn't recorded a double-double in nearly three weeks and hasn't had a truly impressive game since February 5, and with the Thunder struggling, I had no choice but to drop him a couple notches this week.
10. Amare Stoudemire - NYK - 25.9 pts, 8.4 reb, 2.1 blk (10)
Amare averaged 30 points in New York's losses to Cleveland and Orlando this week, but only 20 points in wins over Miami and New Orleans. It looks like he's having a little more trouble adjusting to his new teammates than people really think.
Closing in:
Al Horford, LaMarcus Aldridge
Rookie of the Year
1. Blake Griffin - LAC - 22.8 pts, 12.5 reb, 3.6 ast (1)
Griffin has now recorded a 20-10 game in six straight contests for the Clippers, each of those coming after he won the Dunk Contest. Griffin's production didn't take a hit with the return of Eric Gordon to the lineup last night either, and he's still very solidly #1 on this list.
2. John Wall - WAS - 15.4 pts, 4.2 reb, 8.9 ast (2)
Wall started the week with consecutive 24-point games, but finished it with two games where he scored a total of only 23. Even with the occasional struggles, he is still the favorite for non-Blake-Griffin Rookie of the Year.
3. DeMarcus Cousins - SAC - 13.9 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.0 ast (3)
Cousins' 28 points and 11 rebounds against Portland on Wednesday kept him from slipping back to #4 this week. Before that, it had been over 2 weeks since the Kings' rookie had reached the 20-point mark.
4. Landry Fields - NYK - 9.9 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.9 ast (4)
Fields has seen a significant dip in minutes since the arrival of Carmelo Anthony, playing 30 minutes in only 2 of New York's 4 games last week after playing at least that many in the previous 11 games.
5. Greg Monroe - DET - 8.3 pts, 6.9 reb, 1.0 ast (5)
The problems in Detroit have been good for Greg Monroe, who has been given the opportunity to play significant minutes since the All-Star break, and he has responded well to the additional court time. He has recorded 5 double-doubles while averaging nearly 16 points and 11 rebounds in the past 7 games.
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Jason Terry - DAL - 16.3 pts, 1.9 reb, 4.4 ast (1)
Terry was on fire this week, averaging nearly 25 points per game while helping the Mavericks extend their latest winning streak to 7 games. It may not be enough to help him hold on to this spot next week, though, since Lamar Odom will be eligible for this award if he doesn't start either of the Lakers' next two games.
2. Ramon Sessions - CLE - 12.7 pts, 3.0 reb, 5.5 ast (2)
Sessions only scored 14 points in a loss to San Antonio on Wednesday, but before that he had surpassed 20 points in four straight games. He is still getting good minutes even with the addition of Baron Davis in Cleveland.
3. Shawn Marion - DAL - 11.8 pts. 6.7 reb, 1.2 ast (4)
Marion scored 20 points against Toronto on Sunday the first time he had done that since Mid-January, and has now scored in double figures in 8 straight games for Dallas, giving the Mavs a strong 1-2 punch off the bench.
4. Thaddeus Young - PHI - 12.4 pts, 5.1 reb, 1.1 ast (5)
Young scored 24 points on 12 for 15 shooting in Philadelphia's big win over Detroit this week, and now owns a 7-game double-digit scoring streak of his own.
5. J.R. Smith - DEN - 11.6 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.2 ast (NR)
Smith had back-to-back games of double-digit scoring with multiple three-pointers this week as the Nuggets beat Charlotte and Atlanta at home. If he could just perform as well on the road, he'd be able to move up to #3 on this list easily.
Most Improved Player
1. Dorell Wright - GSW - +9.2 pts, +2.2 reb, +1.8 ast (1)
Wright scored 26 points against Minnesota on Sunday, but it took him 20 shots to do it, and he only had a total of 11 points in the games before and after that one. Even with a little dip in production this week, he still has improved more than any other player in the league this year.
2. Kevin Love - MIN - +6.9 pts, +4.5 reb, +0.2 ast (2)
Love had two amazing games this week, posting 37 points and 23 rebounds in a win over Golden State, then putting up an even 20-20 on Wednesday at Detroit. His streak of consecutive double-doubles now stands at 48, putting him within striking distance of Moses Malone, who has the longest streak since they began being recorded.
3. D.J. Augustin - CHA - +8.0 pts, +1.5 reb, +3.6 ast (3)
Augustin played well against Sacramento last Friday, but wasn't able to pull off a repeat performance on the road against either Orlando or Denver, which left him just a little short of passing Kevin Love to regain the #2 spot in the rankings.
4. Nick Young - WAS - +9.3 pts, +1.4 reb, +0.6 ast (4)
Young was back on his game this week, scoring 38 in a loss to Miami and 31 in a loss to Golden State. He doesn't do much but score, which makes it difficult for him to make a bigger move up this list.
5. Eric Gordon - LAC - +7.2 pts, +0.5 reb, +1.5 ast (5)
Gordon finally returned to the court last night, and he didn't miss a beat, scoring 24 points in his first game in over a month. To make it even sweeter, the Clippers were able to win the game, snapping a 5-game losing streak.
NBA Player of the Day
Ty Lawson - DEN - 23 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 7-13 FG, 2-4 3P, 7-8 FT
Lawson led the new-look Nuggets in scoring and assists as they beat the Utah Jazz on the road without Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets have been hot since their star left, now sitting in 5th place in the West with 19 games to go.
Predictions - 4 Mar
Upset picks are in italics.
Possible upsets are underlined.
NBA
Raptors at Nets - Nets by 2
Bulls at Magic - Magic by 3
Timberwolves at 76ers - 76ers by 9
Thunder at Hawks - Hawks by 1
Warriors at Celtics - Celtics by 12
Cavaliers at Knicks - Knicks by 13
Hornets at Grizzlies - Grizzlies by 4
Pacers at Mavericks - Mavs by 8
Suns at Bucks - Bucks by 2
Heat at Spurs - Spurs by 3
Bobcats at Lakers - Lakers by 12
Prediction Results - 3 Mar
NBA: 1-1 (.500) 517-212 overall (.709)
College Basketball: 4-0 (1.000) 522-127 overall (.804)
Upsets: 2-0 (1.000) 140-86 overall (.619)
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